Coin-operated vending machine and control mechanism therefor



I May 19, 1942. w. HARTMAN ark-Al.

COIN-OPERATED VENDING MACHINE AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Filedoctxs, 1958 v s Sheets-Sheet- 1" v FIG. I.

FIG. 3,

INVEN ORS WILLIAM HARTMAN MILTON W. GREENWALD CHARLES F. CARROLLATTORNEY w. HARTMAN ET AL May 19, 1942;.

COINOPERATED VENDING MACHINE AND CONTROLMECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Oct. 5,1958 3 SheetS-Sheet 2 INVENTDRS. I WILLIAM HARTMAN MILTON W. GREENWALDQHARLES F. CARROLL ATTORNEY W. HARTMAN ETAL -May 19, 1942.

COIN-OPERATED VENDING MACHINE AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 3, 1958 lllllllllll llllllllllllllxllllllllll.

INVENTORSI FIG; H

m3 M T w R R N R A U Hm F M W 5 L l- I W m A H LC M ATTORNEY PatentedMay 19, 1942 UNETED STATES GFHQE COIN-OPERATED VENDING MACHINE ANDCONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Application October 3, 1938, Serial No.232,988

(Cl. 3l2-55) 14 Claims.

This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvementsin coin-operated vending machines and coin-actuated control mechanismstherefor.

Our invention has for its primary objects the provision of a machine ofthe type stated which is simple and economical in construction andmaintenance, which is substantially tamperproof, which, by reason of itssimplicity and small number of operating parts, is rugged andserviceable, and which is adapted to vend a number of different itemsfrom a number of different locations within the limits of the machineunder the selective control of a single coin-actuated operatingmechanism.

Our invention has for a further object the provision of a coin-actuatedvending control mechanism from which the customer may, if desired,recover or regain the coin prior to actuation of the vending mechanism,which is extremely sensitive to actuating movement of the vendingmechanism and will immediately drop the coin into a receptacle uponinitiation of vending operation, and in which actual movement of thecoin itself during the initial stages of vending operation actuallyserves to unlock the vending mechanism for delivery of a unit ofmerchandise.

And with the above and other objects in view, our invention resides inthe novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combinationof the several parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings (3 sheets)- Figure 1 is a front elevationalView, partly broken away and in section, of a vending ma chineconstructed in accordance with and embodying our present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the vendingmachine illustrating in detail the merchandise delivering mechanism;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the merchandise deliveringmechanism shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the vending machine, takenapproximately along the line 44, Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the coin-actuated latchingmechanism of our present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the coin-actuated latch mechanism,with the back-plate thereof removed for illustrating in more detail theinterior structure thereof;

Figure '7 is an enlarged perspective view of the latch-bolt member ofour present invention;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the vending machine, takenapproximately alongthe line 88, Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the merchandisedelivering mechanism, showing in detail the auxiliary locking mechanismfor positively locking the merchandise delivering mechanism when theparticular merchandise bin is empty;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the auxiliary lockingmechanism, taken approximately along the line Iii-I0, Figure 9; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the auxiliarylocking mechanism.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to thedrawings, the preferred embodiment of our present invention thereinillustrated comprises an outer cabinet or housing I constructedpreferably of sheet metal or other suitable material and having a topwall 2, a bottom wall 3, side walls 4, 5, a rear Wall 6, and a front orfacing wall I, the rear wall 6 being provided with any conventionallocked door (not shown) for providing access to the interior of thehousing I.

Respectively spaced inwardly from, and extending parallel to, the sidewalls 4, 5, is a pair of inner vertical partitions 8, 9, for supportinga plurality of pairs ofvertically' spaced horizontal shelf members I 9,H, arranged in tiers, and provided with a plurality of preferablyuniformly spaced vertical partition members l2 for sub-dividing theshelf pairs into a plurality of small cubicle-like merchandisecompartments a, each of the partition members l2 being provided alongits forward and rearward vertical margins with laterally extendingflanges I 3 for retentive engagement with the merchandise units placedwithin the particular compartments, the flanges l3 associated with thefront margins of the partitions I 2 being somewhat shorter in lengththan the partitions l2 and terminating upwardly from the upper face ofthe shelf II by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of amerchandise unit, all as best seen in Figure 1 and for purposespresently more fully appearing.

Centrally of each merchandise compartment a, the shelf members I l areprovided with slots I4 extending forwardly from the rear margin of theshelf II and having a rearward portion l5 which is substantially widerthan the forward straight-sided portion l6 thereof, as best seen inFigure 8.

Swingably mounted on, and extending horizontally between, thefianges l3across the front and adjacent the bottom of each of the merchandisecompartments a, is a narrow closure flap adapted to swing freely underits own weight downwardly in front of the compartment a for preventingunauthorized access to the interior thereof through slot-like aperturesI'8' formed in the front wall 1 in front of each merchandise compartmenta, as best seen in Figure l.

Spaced downwardly from, and extending horizontally beneath, each of theshelf members II, is a rotary shaft l9 journaled at its one end in thepartition 8 and extending at its other end rotatively through thepartition 9, being at such extended end rigidly provided with atransversely extending bifurcated arm 25.

Embracingly mounted on each of the shafts IQ for shiftable movementtherealong, is a carriage 2| provided with four vertical shaft-engagingroller members 22 and having a transversely extending vertical slot 23for receiving the enlarged end 24 of a rock-arm 25, which is splined tothe shaft for shiftable movement with the carriage and rotationalmovement with the shaft I9,

the arm 25 being provided at its outer end with an upstanding stopshoulder 26 and an outwardly projecting arm 2'! having a hooked end 28for retentively receiving one end of a tension spring 29, which is, atits other end, suitably connected to a swingable link 30, the latterbeing at its one end pivotally connected to the rock-arm 25 in such aposition as to be limited in its movement in one direction by the stopshoulder 26, and being further provided at its outer end with across-head or merchandise pusher 3| extending laterally equidistantly oneither side thereof and being secured thereto by suitable fasteningmeans, such as, for instance, a bolt 32.

The cross-head 3| is preferably formed in the shape of a flattened Ihaving a top section 33 slightly shorter in length than the widestdimension of the slot-portion I5, anintermediate section 34 slightlyshorter in length than the width of the straight-sided slot-portion l6,and a bottom section 35 which is substantially greater in length thanthe widest dimension of the slot l4. Formed preferably integrally with,and extending horizontally forwardly from the roller carriage 2|, is ahorizontal finger bar 36 project- 'ing through a horizontal slot 31formed in the face panel 1 beneath the line of slot-like apertures l8,and having a plurality of downwardly extending notches 38 in its lowermargin each registering substantially with the center of a particularmerchandise compartment for centering the carriage 2| with respectthereto. Exteriorly of the face panel I, the finger arm 38 is providedwith an upwardly extending pointer 39 and an outwardly extending knob40, all as best seen in Figure 2 and for purposes presently more fullyappearing.

Rigidly mounted, at its ends, upon the intermediate partitions 8, 9, andextending transversely therebetween slightly above each of the shaftsI9, is a horizontal stop panel M so positioned above the shafts l9 as topermit the upper face of the roller carriage 2| to freely passtherebeneath, being provided along its rearward margin with a pluralityof inwardly extending slots 42 having an enlarged throat portion 43 andan inner straight-sided portion 44, the latter being substantially equalin width to the transverse thickness of the rock-arm 25, each of theslots 42 being positioned centrally with respect to one of theparticular merchandise compartments a.

It will thus be evident that, by grasping the knob 45, the rollercarriage 2| and the rock-arm 25, together with the link SI] and thecross-head or pusher 3|, may be shifted laterally beneath the particulartier of merchandise compartments with which it is'associated and broughtto rest beneath any one of such compartments a with the pointer member39 stopped at a selected indicia-mark b, serving to indicate thecontents of the particular merchandise compartment and dropped into theselected notch 38 of the slot 31, as best seen in Figure 1.

Thereupon, when the shaft I9 is rotated, the rock-arm 25 and the link 35will swing upwardly together until the cross-head 3| is engaged in theslot l4. Thereupon, continued rotation of the shaft l9 will swing therock-arm 25 forwardly and cause the link 38 to swing about its pivotedend against the action of the tension spring 29, so as to ridehorizontally forwardly along the bottom of the merchandise compartmentfrom the position shown in full lines to the position shown in dottedlines in Figure 2. During the course of its forward horizontal stroke,the upper portion 33 of the cross-head 3| will engage the rearward edgeof the lowermost merchandise unit in the particular compartment and pushit horizontally forwardly.

In the event that the customer, through accident or carelessness, hasnot shifted the roller carriage 2| to a properly centered position withrespect to one of the merchandise compartments, then the rock-arm 25,immediately upon upward swinging movement, will come into blockingabutment with the rearward edge of the stop plate 4|. When, however, theroller carriage 2| has been moved into properly centered position withrespect to any one of the merchandise compartments, the rock-arm 25 willswing upwardly into one of the slots 42.

As has been above stated, each of the shafts l9 extends through thepartition 9 and is provided on its extended end with a transversebifurcated arm 20, each of which is in yoke-wise engagement with a pin45 mounted rigidly in and extending laterally outwardly from ahorizontal shiftable cross-bar 45, being connected intermediate its endswith one end of a strong tension spring 41' in turn connected at itsother end to the partition 9. Each cross-bar 46 is further provided atits inner end with a stop screw 41 to limit the forward shiftingmovement thereof and extends forwardly through a slide hanger 48 and aslot 49 formed in the face panel 1, being provided on its outwardlyextended end with a pull knob 58. For a short distance inwardly of theknob 5!], the respective cross-bars 45 are cut away in the provision ofa forwardly presented vertical bevel shoulder 50.

The face panel 1 of the vending machine is provided preferably adjacentan upper corner with a vertical slot-like coin-depositing aperture 5|,which is in substantial registration with the coin-receiving aperture ofa coin selector mechanism 52 mounted rigidly upon the upper forwardportion of the outwardly presented face of the inner supportingpartition 9. This coinselecting mechanism 52 may be of any conventionaltype having a series of coin-selecting and rejecting mechanisms arrangedin a successive series along the path of movement of the coin ultimatelyterminating in a coin-droppin chute 53.

Positioned directly below the coin selector mechanism 52 for receivingthe coin as it is discharged therefrom, is a latch control mechanism 54,which includes a relatively thin rectangular back plate 55 and a frontplate 56, being provided adjacent its upper margin with a horizontallyextending slot-like aperture 51, and being further provided adjacent itslower margin with an elongated horizontally extending slot-like aperture58. The front and back plates 55, 56, are held in peripherallyregistering spaced parallel relationship by a vertical spacer block 59extending along the rearward vertical plate-margins 60 and a pair ofshort horizontally extending spacer blocks 6 I, 62, having opposedparallel faces 63, 63, respectively, in horizontal alignment with theupper and lower faces of the slot 51 and extending inwardly for apredetermined distance from the forward vertical plate-margin 64, thespacer blocks 59, 6|, and 62 being suitably apertured for accommodatingconnecting rivets 65 by which the latch structure is held in assembled arelation.

Shiftably mounted in the slot 51, is a bolt member 66 integrallyincluding ashank 61, a transverse intermediate section 68 having arearwardly presented coin-contact face 69, and a latch-engaging arm I0,the shank 6! being sized for fitting vertically between the faces 63,63', of the spacer blocks 6|, 62, and transversely between the innerfaces of the back and front plates 55, 56, and the latch arm I beingdisposed outwardly from the plane of the outer face of the front plate56 and terminating in an oblique transverse abutment face II.Intermediate its ends, the latch-engaging arm "I0 is provided with arigidly mounted pin 12 extending horizontally through the slot 51 in thefront plate 56 and terminatmg just short of the inner face of the backplate 55. It should furthermore be pointed out in this connection thatthe horizontal distance between thepin I2 and the coin contact face 69of the bolt member 66 must be'somewhat larger than the greatestpermissible diameter of the coin which is to be received in themechanism.

On its under face, the latch mechanism 54 is preferably provided with abottom plate 13 which is stamped out in the provision of twolongitudinally spaced coin drop-apertures I4, I5, as best seen in Figure6 and for purposes presently more fully appearing.

Slidably mounted between the under horizontal face of the spacer block62 and the upwardly presented horizontal face of the bottom plate I3, isa coin return bar 16 extending inwardly between the back and frontplates 55, 56, and terminating at a point approximately midway of thebottom plate portion I3 intermediate the coindrop-apertures 14, I5.

Threadedly mounted at its end in the bar l6 and extending outwardlytherefrom through the slot-like aperture 58, is a hook-ended pin 18 forretentive engagement with one end of a tension Spring I9, which is atits other end secured to a post 89 mounted rigidly in and extendingoutwardly from the front plate 56, all as best seen in Figure and forpurposes presently more fully appearing.

Swingably mounted upon the outwardly presented face of the front plate56 adjacent the upper margin thereof by means of a flat-headed pivotscrew 8|, is a substantially horizontal latch member '82 having itsunder face preferably positioned for overlying abutment with theupwardly presented face of the latch arm 10 and being provided at itsfree end with a downwardly depending detent or hook portion 83 having afortil wardlypresented abutment face 84 for engagement with the end faceII of the latch extension or arm ID, as best seen in Figure 5. Formedpreferably integrally with, and extending upwardly and inwardly from,the upper face of the latch member 82, is a lifter arm 85 extendinghorizontally over the upper margin of the front plate 56 and at its endbeing bent downwardly in the provision of ashort finger member 86extending freely between the inwardly presented faces of the back andfront plates 55, 56, and being provided at its lower extremity with'anarcuate cam face 81, the lowermost extremity of which lies substantiallyin the plane of the upper face of the slot 51, as best seen in Figure 6.

Suitably mounted on the inner supporting partition 9 with its upper openend positioned directly beneath the coin drop I5, is a coin return chute88 extending downwardly and obliquely forwardly throughthe face panel Iand terminating in a suitable coin-holding till 89. Removably mounted onthe supporting partition '9 directly beneath the other coin drop I4, isan open-topped coin-retention box or receptacle 90, all as best seen inFigure 4 and for purposes presently more fully appearing.

Pivotally mounted on the outer face of the inner supporting partition 9at a point substantially beneath the latch mechanism 54 by means of aflat-headed post screw 9|, is a bell-crank 92 having an upwardlyextending substantially vertical leg 93 provided at its upper end withan elongated slot-like aperture 94 for accommodating any suitable typeofconnecting pin 95 extending therethrough and being threaded orotherwise rigidly mountedin the latch-engaging arm I0.

The bell-crank 92 is further provided with a horizontally extending leg96 terminating in an arcuately formed end portion 91 and being furtherprovided intermediate its ends with a pin 98 for receiving one end. of atension spring 99, which is, at its other end, retentively connected tothe inner supporting partion 9.

Rigidly mounted on the outer face of the supporting partition 9, are aplurality of vertically aligned bracket members I00 having a forward legIOI spaced outwardly from and extending parallel to the supportingpartition 9. Shiftably mounted for vertically slidable movement betweenthe bracket legs IM and the outer face of the supporting partition 9,are a plurality of endwise abutting locking bars I02 preferably ofrectangular cross-section and at their ends being cut away or chamferedin the provision of upwardly presented and downwardly presented bevelfaces I03, I04, respectively. Each of the locking bars I02 is preciselyequal in length to the vertical distance between the upper faces,respectively, of any two directly subjacent cross bars 46. Shiftablymounted for vertically slidable movement between the uppermost bracketmembers I00 and the supporting partition 9, is a relatively short keeperbar I05, being at its lower extremity in endwise abutment with the topof the uppermost locking bar I02 and being cut away or chamfered in theformation of a downwardly presented bevel face I06. Intermediate itsends and inwardly of its rear vertical margin, the keeper bar I05 is cutaway or recessed in the provision of a slot I01 for snugly embracing therounded or arcuate end 91 of the bell-crank 92. The lowermost lockingbar I02 is further provided adjacent its .lower end with a pin I08 whichprojects outwardly and engages the upper face of the lowermost cross bar46 for limiting the downward shifting movement of the entire column oflocking bars, and it may also be pointed out in this connection that thekeeper bar I and the locking bars I02 each rest one upon the other butare nevertheless free to shift vertically independently of any one ofthe members below it, as best seen in Figure 4 and for purposespresently more fully appearing.

Mounted in each of the merchandise compartments for freely shiftingvertical movement therein, is a weight member I09 provided along itsrear margin with an outwardly extending neck-like portion IIO whichextends outwardly between the vertical margins of the rear flangemembers I3 and is bent downwardly in the provision of a tongue-likemember III having a downwardly curved arcuate cam surface H2 across itslower end for operative engagement with the cam} follower portion II3 ofthe outer leg H4 of a U-shaped auxiliary or safety lock member H5, thebight portion H6 of which is axially bored for rotatively receiving apivot stud Ill. At its inner end, the stud H1 is tightly threaded intothe rear face of the roller carriage 2 I, the inner leg I I8 of theU-shaped safety lock member H5 extending inwardly along the rear face ofthe roller carriage 2| across and in front of the rocking arm 25 andbeing provided along its upper margin with a hook-ended pin I I9 forreceiving one end of a tension spring H9 which extends rearwardlytherefrom and is fixed at its other end to the roller carriage 2| fornormally swinging the U-shaped member I I5 into more or less verticallyupright position.

The distance between the under face of the weight member I09 and thelowermost point of the cam surface II2 thereof is such that, when one ormore units of merchandise are housed within the particular compartment,the lowermost point of the cam surface II2 will be above hers I09 arethen placed on top of each pile or stack of merchandise for holding itdown against the bottom of its particular compartment a.

When a coin of the correct denomination is inserted by the purchaserthrough the coin-receiving slot 5|, it will pass through theconventional coin selector mechanism 52. If the coin is genuine, it willbe dropped through the chute 53 into thercontrol or latch mechanism 54and will come to rest between the arcuate coin-contact face 69 of thebolt member 60 and the pin I2, being supported in such position by theupper face of the coin return pull bar I6, as best seen in Figure 6.

the plane of the uppermost position of the cam follower H3. When,however, the last unit of merchandise has been vended from thecompartment, the under face of the weight I09 will come to rest directlyupon the bottom of the compartment. It will thus be evident that, as theroller carriage 2I is shifted by the customer in front of a particularcompartment which happens to be empty, the cam follower II3 will comeinto operative engagement with the cam surface II2 from either one sideor the other and the U-shaped safety lock member H5 will be swungdownwardly, so that the inner leg portion H8 thereof will move intoobstructing position in front of the rock-arm 25, preventing anyswinging movement thereof and entirely locking the machine against anyoperation, as best seen in Figures 9, l0, and 11.

In use, the various compartments may be filled with any suitablemerchandise, which may be packaged in a relatively flat oblongrectangular shape. We have found that the present machine is peculiarlywell suited, for instance, to the vending of books, pamphlets, andmagazines without necessitating any external binding or wrappingthereof. Thus, for example, the various compartments a might be filledwith magazines of suitable size and shape which the machine is designedto accommodate, it, of course, being understood that the size of thecompartments and the delivery openings may be varied in any way toaccommodate magazines or other merchandise units having greater orlesser width and greater or lesser thickness. Theweight mempartmentcontaining the desired merchandise.-

Thereupon, the purchaser will grasp the particular pull knob 50, whichis associated with the tier of compartments in which the desiredmerchandise is housed, and, by pulling such pull knob 50 horizontallyoutwardly from the machine, will cause a forward horizontal movement ofone of the cross-bars 46, which will move forwardly, bringing itsbeveled shoulder 50' into abutting engagement with either the downwardlypresented bevel face I06 of the keeper member I05 or one of thedownwardly presented bevel faces I04 of one of the locking bars I02,depending upon the particular tier in which the desired merchandisecompartment is located.

If, for the purposes of description, it be assumed that the desiredmerchandise is in-the uppermost tier of compartments, then the bevelshoulder 50' of the uppermost actuator bar 46 will come into abuttingengagement with the bevel face I06 of the keeper member I 05 and uponcontinued forward movement will tend to ride thereacross, shifting thekeeper member I05 vertically upwardly and swinging the horizontal leg 96of the bell-crank 92 upwardly, which, in turn, produces a rearwardlyswinging movement of the vertical leg 93 of the bell-crank 92.

Since the upper end of the bell-crank 92 is in pin-and-slot engagementwith the latch-engaging arm I0 of the bolt member 69, the latter will bemoved horizontally responsive to rocking action of the bell-crank 92,and the arcuate coin contact-face 59 thereof will urge the coinhorizontally forwardly, during the course of which movement the uppermargin of the coin will ride against the cam face 81 of the lifterfinger B6, producing an upward movement thereof, which will, in turn,swing the latch member 82 upwardly out of the path of forward movementof the latch-engaging-arm I0, thereby allowing the latch arm to fullycomplete the course of its rearward movement and, at the same time,permitting the leg 93 of the bell-crank 92 also to complete the courseof its rearward swinging movement. As the latch-engaging arm I0 reachesthe rearmost limit of its travel, the coin will have been pushed beyondthe end of the supporting pull bar I6 and will drop freely down throughthe coin drop-aperture 14 into the coin-retention box 90.

As the keeper member I05 moves upwardly, the actuator bar 46 will passcompletely thereunder and will be blockingly interposed along its underface over the upper end of the uppermost locking bar I02, so that noneof the pull knobs 50 associated with any of the lower tiers may besuccessfully actuated while the machine is in unlocked condition.

As will be readily understood, the forward shifting movement of anactuator bar 46 and its associated pin 45 will cause the associatedbifurcated member 20 to rock forwardly, rotating the shaft I9, which, inturn, rocks the arm 25, causing the cross-head 3| to move upwardly intoengagement with the rear edge of the lowermost magazine or othermerchandise unit housed within the particular compartment, pushing thelatter horizontally forwardly and projecting it through the merchandisedelivery slot I 8. As

the magazine or other merchandise unit is pushed forwardly, it will pushthe flap II upwardly out of closure-forming position and pass freelytherebeneath.

Upon release, the cross-bar 46 will be withdrawn under the action of thetension spring 41', producing retrogressive movement of all the partsand restoring them to initial position.

In the event that no coin has been placed in the machine, a pull uponthe pull knob 50 will bring the bevel shoulder 50' of the cross-bar 46into abutting engagement with the bevel face I06 of the keeper memberI05, producing a slight amount of upward movement thereof which will besufficient to rock the bell-crank 92 slightly and bring thelatch-engaging arm I of the latch mechanism 54 a short distanceforwardly. Since there is no coin in the mechanism, however, the detentmember 86 will not be lifted and will, therefore, abuttingly engage theinclined face of the latch-engaging arm I0 along the forwardly Presentedinclined face 84 of its downwardly depending hook-like portion 83,thereby effectively blocking any further actuating movement of any ofthe parts of the machine.

In the event that the desired merchandise compartment is located in thesecond or any other lower tier, the particular cross-bar 46 associatedwith such tier will move forwardly until its bevel shoulder 50' willengage the bevel face I04 of the particular locking bar I02 associatedwith such tier, producing a slight upward movement thereof which will betransmitted vertically to the keeper member I05, which will, in turn, beeither blocked or freed for movement, depending upon the presence orabsence of a suitable coin in the latching mechanism 54.

After a coin has been dropped through the selector mechanism into thelatching mechanism, the purchaser may cause the coin to be returned tohim at will, any time prior to the initiation of a merchandise vendingcycle, by simply grasping the knob I6 on the extended end of the pullbar I6 and pulling the latter horizontally forwardly. As will be seen byreference to Figure 6, the bar I6 will be moved horizontally outwardlyuntil its inner end has moved entirely from beneath the coin, which willthen drop directly downwardly through the coin drop-aperture 15 into thechute 88 and thence outwardly into the till 89, where it may be pickedup by the purchaser. The pin I2 serves to prevent the coin fromaccidentally rolling rearwardly and falling into the coin-retention box90.

In case, through accident or nefarious design, a second coin is droppedinto the machine before the vending operation is completed, such secondcoin will come to rest upon the upwardly presented face of the boltmember 66, which is moved into the path of the coin while the latchingmechanism 54 is in opened position. Upon return movement of the boltmember 66, such second coin will thereupon fall into proper position forsubsequent vending operation. I

If the particular compartment from which merchandise is desired provesto be empty, the safety lock bar H5 will, as above described, Dreventany appreciable movement of the particular shaft I9, thus effectivelypreventing any'movement of the cross-bars 46 or the locking bars I02 andthe keeper member I05. Under such circumstances, there will be noappreciable forward movement of the coin within the latching mechanism,so that, in case the purchaser does not wish to use the coin for thepurchase of some alternative merchandise, he may have his coin returnedto him by simply pulling out on the coin return bar I6. 7

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of thevending machine may be made and substituted for those herein shown anddescribed without departing from the nature and principle of ourinvention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A vending machine comprising a housing having a front face, aplurality of merchandise compartments arranged within said housing in aplurality of horizontal vertically spaced tiers, said housing face beingprovided with a plurality of horizontal rows of slot-like apertures, oneof said apertures being positioned in front of the lower portion of eachof said merchandise compartments, an ejector shiftably mounted beneatheach tier of compartments for optional disposition beneath any selectedcompartment in such tier, manually operable means connected to eachejector for actuating such ejector and thereby projecting a merchandiseunit from a selected one of said compartments through the face apertureassociated therewith, and means connecting the several ejector-actuatingmeans so that only one such ejector may be operated at one time.

2. A vending machine comprising a housing having a front face, aplurality of merchandise compartments arranged within said housing in aplurality of horizontal vertically spaced tiers, said housing face beingprovided with a plurality of horizontal rows of slot-like apertures, oneof said apertures being positioned in front of the lower portion of eachof said merchandise compartments, manually operable means for vending asingle unit of merchandise from any selected one of said compartments,and means operably mounted in each compartment for preventingmerchandise-vending movement of the manually operable means when theparticular compartment selected for vending operation is empty.

3. In a vending machine having a series of merchandise-storingcompartments arranged in side by-side relation, merchandise ejectingmeans comprising a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally beneath theseries of compartments, a carriage mounted on the shaft for shiftablemovement therealong, a rock-arm splined to the shaft for rockingmovement with said shaft and mounted in the carriage for shiftablemovement therewith, and means operatively mounted on the rock-arm forejective engagement with a merchandise unit responsive to rockingmovement of the rock-arm. c

4. In a vending machine having a series-of merchandise-storingcompartments arranged in side-by-side relation, merchandise ejectingmeans comprising a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally beneath theseries of compartments, a carriage mounted on the shaft for shiftablemovement therealong, a rock-arm splined to the shaft for rockingmovement with said shaft and mounted in the carriage for shiftablemovement therewith, and means resiliently mounted on the rock-arm forejective engagement with a merchandise unit responsive to rockingmovement of the rock-arm. I

5. In a vending machine having a series of merchandise-storingcompartments arranged in sideby-side relation, merchandise ejectingmeans comprising a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally beneath theseries of compartments, a carriage mounted on the shaft for shiftablemovement therealong, a rock-arm splined to the shaft for rockingmovement with said shaft and mounted in the carriage for shiftablemovement therewith, and means resiliently mounted on the rock-arm andhaving a transversely extending pusher member for ejective engagementwith a merchandise unit responsive to rocking movement of the rock-arm.

6. In a vending machine having a series of merchandise storingcompartments arranged in side-by-side relation, merchandise ejectingmeans comprising a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally beneath theseries of compartments, a carriage mounted on the shaft for shiftablemovement therealong, a rock-arm splined to the shaft for rockingmovement with said shaft and mounted in the carriage for shiftablemovement therewith, means operatively mounted on the rock-arm forejective engagement with a merchandise unit responsive to rockingmovement of the rock-arm, and means on the carriage for manuallyshifting said carriage to any predetermined position along said shaft.

7. In a vending machine having a series of merchandise-storingcompartments arranged in side-by-side relation, merchandise ejectingmeans comprising a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally beneath theseries of compartments, a carriage mounted on the shaft for shiftablemovement therealong, a rock-arm splined to the shaft for rockingmovement with said shaft and mounted in the carriage for shiftablemovement therewith, means operatively mounted on the rock-arm forejective engagement with a merchandise unit responsive to rockingmovement of the rock-arm, and auxiliary locking "means swingably mountedon the carriage for movement into engagement with the rock-armresponsive to a predetermined external condition of the vending machineto prevent rocking movement of said rock-arm.

8. In a merchandise dispensing mechanism, a frame having compartmentsfor housing merchandise units, an elongated rod mounted at its ends forrocking movement in the frame, means connected to the rod for optionallyproducing rocking movement thereof, a carriage rotatably and shiftablymounted on the rod, an arm slidably keyed to the rod and mounted in thecarriage for shifting movement therewith, a pusher pivoted on the armand provided at its outer end with a cross member for engagement with aunit of merchandise, and spring means for normally urging the pushertoward the merchandise units.

9. A merchandise dispensing mechanism comprising a plurality ofmerchandise compartments arrangedin side-by-side relation each having aslotted bottom wall and a front wall provided with a transversedispensing aperture adjacent the bottom wall, and an ejector mounted forshiftable movement beneath the bottom walls of the several compartmentsfor alignment with the bottom wall slot of a selected compartment, saidejector including manually actuable means slidably engageable with thelongitudinal margins of the respective bottom-wall slot for engaging aunit of merchandise and shifting the latter outwardly through thedispensing aperture of the selected compartment.

10. A merchandise dispensing mechanism comprising a plurality ofmerchandise compartments arranged in side-by-side relation each having aslotted bottom wall and a front wall provided with a transversedispensing aperture adjacent the bottom wall, an ejector mounted forshiftable movement beneath the bottom walls of the several compartmentsfor alignment with the bottom wall slot of a selected compartment, saidejector including an arm and manually actuable means slidably engageablewith the longitudinal margins of the respective bottom-wall slot forengaging a unit of merchandise and shifting the latter outwardly throughthe dispensing aperture of the selected compartment, and means operablydisposed in each compartment having a' projecting abutment adapted to bepositioned for engaging the ejector arm for preventingmerchandise-ejecting movement of the ejector when the selectedcompartment is empty. i

11. A vending machine including a compartment for containing a pluralityof units of merchandise, said compartment having a longitudinallyslotted bottom wall, and ejector mechanism comprising a rockable shaft,a rock arm splined upon said shaft, stop means on the rock arm, anauxiliary arm pivotally mounted at the end of the rock arm, spring meansfor normally urging the auxiliary arm against the stop means, a pusherplate mounted transversely across the end of the auxiliary arm, saidpusher plate being provided in its transverse ends with recesses forengagement with the side margins of the bottom wall slot, and meansconnected to the shaft for rocking the shaft and its associated rock armand thereb swinging the pusher plate initially upwardly and thenforwardly in engagement with the bottom wall slot for ejecting a unit ofmerchandise.

12. A vending machine including a compartment for containing a pluralityof units of merchandise, said compartment being providedin its bottomwall with a longitudinal slot the side margins of which are outwardlyflared adjacent the rearward end of the slot in the provision of awidened slot mouth, and ejector mechanism comprising a rockable shaft, arock arm splined upon said shaft, stop means on the rock arm, anauxiliary arm pivotally mounted at the end of the rock arm, spring meansfor normally urging the auxiliary arm against the stop means, a pusherplate mounted transversely across the end of the auxiliary arm, saidpusher plate having a width along its upper edge substantially equal tothe widest dimension of the slot mouth and along its lower edge havingadimension substantially greater than the slot mouth, said pusher platefurther being provided along its transverse edges intermediate its upperand lower margins with oppositely presented aligned recessesformingcentrally within the pusher plate a web portion the horizontaldimensionof which is substantially equal to the width of the bottom-wallslot, and means connected to the shaft for "rocking the shaft and itsassociated rock arm and thereby swinging the pusher plate initiallyupwardly and then forwardly in engagement with the bottom wall slot forejecting a unit of merchandise.

13. A vending machine comprising a plurality of verticalmerchandise-containing compartments arranged in a horizontal series,each of said compartments having a dotted bottom wall, an ejectorcarriage horizontally shiftable beneath the several compartments, saidcarriage having a pusher arm swingably mounted thereon for movement intoany selected one of the compart ments through the bottom wall slotthereof for ejecting a unit of merchandise from such selectedcompartment, and a plate disposed between the carriage and thecompartments having a slot aligned with each compartment to permitejective movement of the arm only when the carriage and its associatedarm have been shifted into alignment with any selected one of saidcompartments.

14. In a vending machine having an openbacked compartment provided witha slotted bottom wall and being adapted to contain a plurality ofmerchandise units, a weight member for riding upon the uppermostmerchandise unit, progressively approaching the bottom of thecompartment as the merchandise units are ejected therefrom, and finallycoming to rest upon the bottom of the compartment when the compartmentis empty, said weight member having a depending fiange projecting fromthe open back of the compartment, a carriage having a swingable ejectorarm adapted to enter the compartment through the slotted bottom wallthereof for ejecting a unit of merchandise, and a rockable lockingmember adapted for engagement with the depending flange of the weightmember and swingably thereby into engagement with the ejector arm toprevent ejective movement thereof when the compartment is empty.

WILLIAM HARTMAN.

MILTON W. GREENWALD.

CHARLES F. CARROLL.

